S2O Consultants
S2O Consultants is a Chicago-based, female-owned foodservice design and consulting firm providing end-to-end planning, design, and construction administration for sports venues, corporate dining, educational facilities, and hotels. The 13-person FCSI-certified team has completed over 100 sports venue projects.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What S2O Consultants does
S2O Consultants, Inc. is a Chicago-based foodservice design and consulting firm providing end-to-end services — from master planning and programming through design development, contract documents, and construction administration — for sports venues, corporate dining facilities, educational institutions, and hotels. The firm, formed in 2008 as successor to a partnership dating to 2003, is female-owned and operated (WBE certified) and is currently led by sole owner Kristin Sedej, FCSI, with a structured succession plan in place that elevated Ryan Rongo to part-owner in January 2026.
The firm delivers its services using state-of-the-art REVIT and AutoCAD/BIM capabilities for 3D modeling, equipment planning, and code-compliant documentation. The technical team is anchored by five FCSI Professional Members with more than 120 years of combined experience, including design directors with backgrounds at Cini-Little International, ClubCorp, Marriott, and Restaurant Associates. Project scope is illustrated by marquee engagements such as Chase Center ($14.5M in foodservice equipment), Banc of California Stadium, St. Louis MLS Stadium, Acrisure Arena, Climate Pledge Arena, Churchill Downs (multi-phase, 2011-2024), and corporate headquarters projects for HSBC, A.J. Gallagher, Hollister, and Stryker.
S2O operates as a private, bootstrapped professional services firm with no external institutional capital, generating revenue through project-based design fees quoted per scope. The firm employs 13 people as of 2026 and supports a portfolio of more than 100 sports venues alongside work in corporate, hospitality, and educational markets. Marketing relies on industry reputation, FE&S and FCSI trade publication features, and project portfolio case studies rather than paid acquisition.
S2O Consultants firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- S2O Consultants
- Legal name
- S2O Consultants, Inc.
- Website
- https://s2oconsultants.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- S2O Consultants is a Chicago-based, female-owned foodservice design and consulting firm providing end-to-end planning, design, and construction administration for sports venues, corporate dining, educational facilities, and hotels. The 13-person FCSI-certified team has completed over 100 sports venue projects.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
S2O Consultants industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Foodservice Design and Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Food Services & Catering (On-site/Corporate Dining/Vending) (IMAIAAAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen Equipment Wholesale (AFAIALAB)
Keywords
Where S2O Consultants is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
S2O Consultants business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Foodservice Design & Consulting Services: S2O generates revenue through providing specialized foodservice design and consulting services. This includes master planning, facility evaluations, programming, design development, contract documents, and construction administration for foodservice facilities in sports, corporate, educational and hospitality sectors.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
S2O Consultants product offering
Product offeringCore offering
S2O Consultants provides specialized foodservice design and consulting services for sports venues, corporate, educational, and hospitality clients. The firm delivers end-to-end project services including master planning, programming, design development, contract documents, and construction administration, with state-of-the-art REVIT and AutoCAD/BIM capabilities supporting design documentation, equipment planning, and 3D modeling of foodservice facilities.
Product overview
S2O Consultants is a foodservice design and consulting firm that operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The company provides end-to-end professional consulting services for foodservice facilities, encompassing preliminary planning, design development, contract documents, and construction administration. The core offering is Foodservice Facility Design supplemented by Operational Consulting. Service delivery spans four primary sectors: Sports Facilities Design (the largest category with over 100 venues), Hotel Projects, Corporate Dining, and Educational Facilities. Within each engagement, services are delivered as integrated phases (Preliminary Planning, Programming, Design Development, Contract Documents, Construction Administration), not as discrete product modules available separately. The firm also offers specialized Additional Facilities services including culinary test kitchens. State-of-the-art REVIT capabilities and up-to-date estimating tools support all service delivery.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sports Facility Foodservice Design Specialized foodservice design services for professional and collegiate sports venues including stadiums, arenas, and racetracks, covering programming, planning, design, equipment specification, and construction administration for high-volume food service operations.
- Hotel and Hospitality Foodservice Design Complete foodservice planning and design for hotel and hospitality properties including restaurants, main kitchens, bakeries, staff dining, banquet pantries, rooftop bars, and hotel laundry/dry-cleaning operations.
- Corporate Dining Design Design and planning of corporate campus kitchens, executive dining, employee cafeterias, servery, and meeting room catering facilities for corporate headquarters and office facilities.
- Educational Facility Foodservice Design Design and planning of foodservice facilities for K-12 schools, universities, and educational institutions including dining halls, cafeterias, culinary arts labs, teaching kitchens, and faculty dining.
- Operational Consulting Advisory services helping clients optimize foodservice operations, menu planning, and workflow efficiency across sports, corporate, educational, and hospitality facilities.
- Culinary Test Kitchens and Specialized Facilities Design of unique foodservice projects including culinary test kitchens, corporate food labs, and specialized commercial kitchens such as the Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition Build-Out with multiple test labs and engagement centers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 100 sports venue projects completed
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use S2O Consultants
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
S2O Consultants technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
S2O Consultants partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Shive-HatteryminorS2O Consultants worked with Shive-Hattery and Ajinomoto on their 55,000 SF Health and Nutrition Build-Out in Itasca, designing multiple test labs and kitchens as well as a separate engagement center.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
S2O Consultants competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- HOK: Large global architecture and design firm serving sports, hospitality, healthcare, and corporate workplace markets. Often engages foodservice subconsultants and competes for the broader design mandate that includes foodservice scope.
- Gensler: Global architecture, design, and planning firm with sports, hospitality, and workplace practices. Operates at a much larger scale than S2O but overlaps on corporate HQ dining, hospitality, and stadium projects.
- Populous: Global sports architecture practice with an integrated foodservice design capability as part of broader stadium and arena design services. Represents the in-house threat to specialist consultancies like S2O on major sports venue projects.
Direct peers
- Shaffer & Baity: Foodservice design and consulting firm providing master planning, design, and equipment specification for hospitality, sports, healthcare, and institutional clients. Closely comparable in size, service scope, and vertical mix to S2O.
- Cini-Little International: Long-established foodservice design and consulting firm widely regarded as one of the largest specialty consultancies in North America. Multiple S2O principals (Harry Schildkraut and Joe Mora) came from Cini-Little, and both firms compete directly for enterprise foodservice design mandates across sports, hospitality, corporate, and education verticals.
- Ricca Newmark Cross (RNC): Specialty foodservice design consultancy delivering planning, design, and equipment specification services for restaurants, hospitality, sports venues, and institutional clients. RNC is a direct competitor to S2O in the same product category and target customer segments.
- JME Hospitality: Hospitality and foodservice design consultancy providing facility planning, kitchen design, and operational consulting for hotels, resorts, casinos, and restaurants. Overlapping service portfolio and customer base with S2O's hospitality segment.
- Hollander Design: Boutique foodservice design consultancy offering programming, schematic design, and construction administration for restaurants, hotels, universities, and entertainment venues. Operates in the same niche with comparable service lines to S2O.
- Welteroth Architecture / Welteroth Design Associates: Foodservice design consultancy serving restaurants, hospitality, and institutional clients with programming, design, and equipment specification services. Comparable specialty practice competing for similar enterprise foodservice design mandates.
Others
- Middleby Corporation: Major commercial kitchen equipment manufacturer and design-services provider whose in-house foodservice design groups overlap with specialist consultancies on equipment specification and layout. Indirectly comparable as a potential partner or competitive entrant into the design-services layer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
S2O Consultants social profiles
Digital presenceS2O Consultants compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
S2O Consultants financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
S2O Consultants leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
S2O Consultants funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
S2O Consultants M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about S2O Consultants
What does S2O Consultants do?
S2O Consultants provides specialized foodservice design and consulting services for sports venues, corporate, educational, and hospitality clients. The firm delivers end-to-end project services including master planning, programming, design development, contract documents, and construction administration, with state-of-the-art REVIT and AutoCAD/BIM capabilities supporting design documentation, equipment planning, and 3D modeling of foodservice facilities.
Is S2O Consultants a public or private company?
S2O Consultants is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was S2O Consultants founded?
S2O Consultants was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is S2O Consultants based?
S2O Consultants is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does S2O Consultants make money?
One revenue line is on record: foodservice Design & Consulting Services.
Who are S2O Consultants's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are HOK, Gensler and Populous. Direct peers are Shaffer & Baity, Cini-Little International, Ricca Newmark Cross (RNC), JME Hospitality, Hollander Design and Welteroth Architecture / Welteroth Design Associates. Middleby Corporation is listed as an others.
Does S2O Consultants have an API?
No public API is recorded for S2O Consultants.
What industry is S2O Consultants in?
S2O Consultants's product category is Foodservice Design and Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAIAAAE, Food Services & Catering (On-site/Corporate Dining/Vending), with a secondary code of AFAIALAB, Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen Equipment Wholesale. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.